The TCOT Report has covered the race since Scozzafava’s nomination and exposed the level of influence the national Republican Party wielded to secure here nomination. Though Newt Gingrich referred to the decision to nominate Dede as unanimous, TCOT Report exposed that two of eleven county officials still refuse to endorse Scozzafava! True conservatives around the nation have rallied against the GOP to support Hoffman in order to send a message to the national party–Return to conservative principles, or lose!

After the latest Siena Poll shows the race a dead heat between Democrat Bill Owens and Hoffman, with Scozzafava a distant third, the RINO has withdrawn from the race. Here’s her statement, compliments of Politico:

Dear Friends and Supporters:

Throughout the course of my campaign for Congress, I have made the people of the 23rd District and the issues that affect them the focal point of my campaign. As a life long resident of this District, I care deeply and passionately about its people and our way of life. Whether as a candidate for Congress, a State Assemblywoman or a small town Mayor, I have always sought to act with the best interest of our District and its residents in mind—and today I again seek to act for the good of our community.

The opportunity to run as the Republican and Independence Party candidate to represent the 23rd District has been and remains one of the greatest honors of my life. During the past several months, as I’ve traveled the district, meeting and talking with voters about the issues that matter most to them, I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of support I’ve received as I sought to serve as their voice in Washington. However, as Winston Churchill once said, Democracy can be a fickle employer, and the road to public office is not always a smooth one.

In recent days, polls have indicated that my chances of winning this election are not as strong as we would like them to be. The reality that I’ve come to accept is that in today’s political arena, you must be able to back up your message with money—and as I’ve been outspent on both sides, I’ve been unable to effectively address many of the charges that have been made about my record. But as I’ve said from the start of this campaign, this election is not about me, it’s about the people of this District. And, as always, today I will do what I believe serves their interests best.

It is increasingly clear that pressure is mounting on many of my supporters to shift their support. Consequently, I hereby release those individuals who have endorsed and supported my campaign to transfer their support as they see fit to do so. I am and have always been a proud Republican. It is my hope that with my actions today, my Party will emerge stronger and our District and our nation can take an important step towards restoring the enduring strength and economic prosperity that has defined us for generations.

On Election Day my name will appear on the ballot, but victory is unlikely. To those who support me – and to those who choose not to – I offer my sincerest thanks.

Dede

Question for Newt Gingrich, Pete Sessions, John Boehner, and all the other Republican elite who threw their support behind this Democrat who calls herself a Republican: Is it clear now that Americans don’t want Republican politicians who act like Democrats, but Republicans with real conservative values for which they’ll stand firm?

Last November the nation sent a strong and clear message to the Republican Party and Democrats found themselves in complete control of Washington. However, it appears the GOP leadership in our nation’s capitol couldn’t recognize a baseball bat if it hit them between the eyes! After everything that has transpired since January, Republican leaders still don’t realize conservatism IS what people want.

In May, RINO (Republican in Name Only) Governor Charlie Crist of Florida was endorsed by National Republican Senatorial Committee. NRSC chairman John Cornyn said Crist is “more electable” than his conservative opponent Marco Rubio. It’s important to point out this was the first time the NRSC has endorsed a candidate who will be opposed in the Republican primary.

Okay, in May Obama was still sailing in pretty calm seas. Most considered the April 15 Tea Party a one-time event and expected those protesters to crawl back to their cubicles and let the President get on with the Socialization of the American economy.

But just this week, powerful Republican leaders in DC are trampling a real conservative and endorsing yet another RINO, Dede Scozzafava, in New York’s 23rd Congressional District. Michelle Malkin has a great piece explaining why she calls Scozzafava “an ACORN-friendly, union-pandering, tax-and-spend radical Republican.” And even though true conservative Republican Doug Hoffman is vying for the seat, the Democrat who calls herself a Republican has secured endorsements from such Republican heavy hitters as Newt Gingrich, Pete Sessions, and John Boehner.

The GOP has the perfect opportunity to make huge gains in 2010, if it offers candidates who clearly differentiate themselves from their liberal challengers. But instead, these Republicans are playing right into the hands of the Democrats who have tripled the national debt, dramatically increased federal spending, and are seeking to put the government in control of the most personal and private decisions of every American. How can they not see this?

Immediately following the 2008 defeat, much ink was spent explaining the failures that led to the overwhelming Democratic victory. Many liberals, including those in the mainstream media, were quick to pronounce the death of Conservatism, claiming the results signified a tsunami of Liberalism sweeping across the land. While some Republicans agreed, conservatives did not. According to conservatives, the GOP loss wasn’t a result of Republicans’ conservative policies, but the lack thereof.

Though left-wing pundits and news outlets loved to paint President Bush and other Republicans as “too far to the right” for the past 8 years, the truth is Bush and the party abandoned key aspects of the conservative platform. Spending, debt, and the deficit, along with the size and scope of government escalated in spite of GOP promises to promote fiscal responsibility and limited government. In fact, Obama’s campaign strategy included promises to “return to” fiscally responsible policies and reduce the role of government in our personal lives. (The fact that he has already broken both of these promises is for another article.) So the Left’s hypothesis that Election 2008 was a repudiation of everything conservative won’t wash.

But does evidence exist to support the idea that it was a lack of conservatism on the GOP’s part that cost it the election?

The plethora of conservative grassroots activist organizations that began appearing online immediately following the election gave birth to a movement that has spread across the land, a mobilization of conservative activists previously unseen in these United States. Simultaneous rallies were held across the nation on April 15, July 4, and August 22, attended by Americans young and old protesting not only the hard left turn taken by the Obama administration, but the abandonment of the conservative platform principles mentioned above as well.

Anyone who has attended these rallies can tell you the protesters aren’t calling for a return to the policies of President Bush, but a return to the conservative principles they believe made this country the greatest, most powerful, and most envied on Earth!

If that’s not enough evidence to convince you Americans want a return to conservative principles, take a look at Obama’s crashing poll numbers of late. Rasmussen’s latest Daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows the President’s approval ratings have dropped almost 20 points from their post-inaugural highs and a whopping 40% of Americans strongly disapprove of his job performance, up from 16% when he first took office. Another Rasmussen poll shows Americans prefer a generic Republican candidate to an unnamed Democratic candidate for congress by a 5 point margin. Republicans gained the edge in this poll in June after trailing Democrats for years, only 5 months after Obama began implementing his left wing agenda.

So the question is, why can’t the Republican leadership understand? Why do they continue to promote, endorse, and patronize RINO’s when it’s plain to see this is exactly what has cost them the past two elections?

“Today’s overwhelming bipartisan vote to stop all federal funding of ACORN is a victory for American taxpayers. Of course, it is only the beginning. We need to keep up the fight to end taxpayer funding for this troubled organization.

“House Republicans have worked tirelessly to sever ACORN’s ties to the federal government. Those efforts began to bear fruit late last week when the Census Bureau ended its relationship with ACORN under steady pressure from Republican lawmakers. Though today’s vote indicates that the writing’s on the wall for ACORN, President Obama must indicate whether he will join the Congress in taking decisive action to break all government ties with this corrupt organization.

“I’d like to applaud Oversight & Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), and Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) for the great work they and other House Republicans have done to hold ACORN accountable for its abuse of taxpayer dollars and the public trust.”

NOTE: Earlier this week, Leader Boehner introduced H.R. 3571, the Defund ACORN Act, which has now been adopted as part of H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. An analysis of federal data by the Office of the Republican Leader staff determined that ACORN has received more than $53 million in direct funding from the federal government since 1994, and has likely received substantially more indirectly through states and localities that receive federal block grants. House Republicans have also sent a letter to President Obama asking him to use his authority to end all funding to and break all government ties with ACORN.

Mon Jul 20, 2009
By House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio)

Middle-class families are struggling every day with rising costs of housing, food, transportation, and taxes. But for many, rising costs of health care are the most devastating of all. That’s why Americans’ top priority during the ongoing health care debate is a plan that will reduce costs. Unfortunately, the government takeover of health care offered by the Washington Democrats will not reduce costs; instead, it will dramatically increase costs – for your family, America’s small businesses, and all taxpayers.

Last week, Douglas Elmendorf, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) sent shockwaves through Washington when he told Congress that the Democrats’ plans would make health care more costly. Throughout this debate, President Obama has spoken of the need to “bend the cost curve” or drive health care costs down. During a congressional hearing, however, Mr. Elmendorf testified that the Democrats’ plans would have the opposite effect, saying that under their proposals, “The curve is being raised” and costs would “significantly expand.” That’s because the Democrats’ plan adds a new layer of taxes, mandates, and bureaucracy on top of the current system. If that’s not bad enough, the Democrats’ plan cuts Medicare and takes away choices for millions of seniors. What does all of this mean? Higher costs for the medicine and treatments you need.

Not only will the Democrats’ government-run health care plan raise your costs, but it also will raise costs for our nation’s employers – particularly small businesses. At the heart of their proposal is a small business tax that, for tens of millions, means diminished job security. The National Federation of Independent Businesses warns that the small business tax and mandates in the Democrats’ plan will destroy 1.6 million jobs – one million of them in small businesses alone. And according to methodology developed by Dr. Christina Romer, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the government takeover would cost Americans 4.7 million jobs over the next 10 years. With our economy at its weakest since the Great Depression and unemployment soaring far beyond the levels promised by the Administration, why would Congress promote policies that make jobs even more scarce?

In addition to warning that the Democrats’ plan will raise health care costs, the Congressional Budget Office also has projected that the House Democrats’ proposal would increase the deficit by another $239 billion over the next 10 years. And even though the President continues to claim that those who like their current health care plans can keep them under the Democrats’ proposal, independent analysts disagree. One analysis shows that 114 million Americans may be forced off their current coverage and onto a government-run plan as a result of the House Democrats’ legislation. That means more costs to the taxpayers. The bottom line: while Democratic leaders continue to claim that health care legislation must be “paid for,” the House Democrats’ bill is not. Instead, it will force us to borrow more from China and countries in the Middle East and stick our children and grandchildren with the tab.

Faced with the Democratic bill’s extraordinary costs to families, small businesses, and taxpayers, House Majority LeaderSteny Hoyer (D-MD) suggested last week that Democrats should go “back to the drawing board.” I agree, and that’s why House Republicans have offered real reforms that would lower health care costs. Our plan roots out waste, fraud, and abuse in the system and reforms medical liability rules that cost families millions each year – millions that line the pockets of trial lawyers at the expense of patients and doctors. It lets small businesses band together through associations and purchase health insurance for workers at a lower cost, just like large corporations and unions do. It offers incentives to help Americans who do not have access to quality health care get the coverage they can afford, while giving states tools to design programs that make health care coverage more affordable. And it reforms regulations so insurance companies compete for your business and you can shop around for the best coverage and price.

Health care reform is too important to rush through a flawed proposal that will raise costs – the opposite of what the American people want. After the Obama Administration insisted that Congress rush to enact a “stimulus” bill that – by any objective account – has not created the jobs that were promised, Washington cannot afford to make that same mistake on health care. Nonetheless, it appears Democratic leaders will stubbornly try to ram through this bill before Congress leaves for the August break with little debate or discussion, even as many rank-and-file Democrats express serious concerns about what a costly government-run plan would mean for families and small businesses. It’s time for Democrats to scrap their government takeover of health care and work with Republicans on a plan that gives more Americans access to affordable coverage.

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) is the House Minority Leader and a leading voice in the Republican party. He is currently serving his 10th term representing the 8th Congressional District of Ohio.

GOP Leader: “I remain disappointed about the way TARP has been managed and how its resources have been spent over the last several months.”

Washington, Jan 12 – After President Bush announced that he would request the final $350 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds at President-elect Obama’s request, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement:

“I remain disappointed about the way TARP has been managed and how its resources have been spent over the last several months. From the outset, the program has been implemented with too little transparency and in a manner inconsistent with the way it was presented to Congress last fall. Until officials can present a clear plan to Congress – and, most importantly, to taxpayers – demonstrating how the expenditure of additional TARP funds will benefit our economy and making clear an exit strategy for getting the government back out of the private sector, it would be irresponsible for Congress to release the remainder of these resources. I will oppose the release of these taxpayer funds when the matter is considered on the House floor.”

NOTE: Boehner has written to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke on several occasions raising questions about the implementation of TARP. On December 3, 2008, House Republican leaders sent a letter to Secretary Paulson and Chairman Bernanke, outlining concerns about the program’s lack of transparency to date. On October 29, 2008, Boehner wrote to Secretary Paulson expressing his concern with how some of the TARP funds were being utilized.